Toyota, Lexus Class Action Says Hybrid Vehicles Stall Suddenly

Toyota has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging defects in hybrid models of its vehicles cause unexpected stalling.

Lead plaintiffs, Rajdave Bhandari and Jevdet Rexhepi, allege in the Toyota, Lexus class action lawsuit that a defect in the hybrid inverter assembly causes sudden stalling, even while vehicles are actively moving on the road.

According to the Toyota, Lexus class action lawsuit, “[a]t least as early as 2008, [Toyota (TMS)] became aware that the engines in Toyota hybrid vehicles were stalling suddenly and without warning due to a defect within the hybrid inverter assembly, which converts high voltage direct current (i.e., DC) stored in the battery into high-voltage alternating current (i.e., AC) for the motor generator, and converts AC into DC during regenerative braking for storage in hybrid vehicles’ batteries.”

The Toyota hybrid class action lawsuit says that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated an investigation into complaints about stalling in model year 2006 hybrid Highlanders.

The NHTSA found that, of the vehicles that stalled, more than 60 percent did so at high speeds of over 40 miles per hour, according to the Toyota, Lexus class action lawsuit.

The Toyota, Lexus hybrid class action lawsuit alleges that the car maker was aware of several problems with the hybrid vehicles, including issues with the solder used as well as high operating temperatures.

However, alleges the hybrid class action, Toyota chose to focus on only one problem, the solder, in resulting recalls of Highlander and Lexus model hybrids allegedly affected by the defect.

“In actuality, the solder used to attach the transistors comprising the IGBT [Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors] was just one of the issues of which TMS was aware regarding IPM [Intelligent Power Module] failure,” alleges the Toyota, Lexus class action lawsuit.

“TMS was also aware that the composition of the materials used to manufacture the solder was a factor in IPM performance and that, as of 2008, the composition of the solder had been changed several times in an effort to correct the problem, to no avail.”

Despite continuing issues with Highlander and Lexus hybrids, alleges the Toyota, Lexus class action lawsuit, the car maker incorporated similarly defective materials into its 2013 Prius hybrids.

As a result, contends the hybrid class action lawsuit, Toyota also had to issue a recall of affected Prius cars; however, the plaintiffs allege that in an attempt to save money, the company issued a software update, rather than fix the defect.

According to the Toyota, Lexus class action lawsuit, “the software update was not an adequate substitute for replacing the defective IPMs in those vehicles. To the contrary, the defective IPMs that were installed in the inverters of hundreds of thousands of Prius hybrids continued to malfunction and fail, exposing Prius drivers, occupants, and those in proximity to Priuses whose IPMs malfunction and fail to precisely the same risks of injury and death that required TMS to conduct safety recalls in connection with defective IPMs on at least three separate occasions.”

The Toyota, Lexus class action lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide Class of those who have owned or leased 2010 through 2016 model-year Prius hybrids, along with a subclass of those who have paid out of pocket to fix the alleged defect.

The Toyota, Lexus class action lawsuit is seeking damages, as well as a court order requiring Toyota to disclose the extent and true nature of the alleged defect.

Bhandari and Rexhepi are represented by Jeffrey L. Fazio and Dina E. Micheletti of Fazio Micheletti LLP, Charles J. LaDuca and Michael J. Flannery of Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca LLP, William M. Audet and Gwendolyn R. Giblin of Audet & Partners LLP, and Donald R Pepperman of Baker & Marquart LLP.

The Toyota, Lexus Hybrid Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Bhandari, et al. v. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., Case No. 2:18-cv-06184, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.